


Maybe

by aleksrothis



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:55:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24616387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aleksrothis/pseuds/aleksrothis
Summary: Leon hates Matthew Tkachuk. Doesn't he? So then why isn't he turning him away, despite his heat?
Relationships: Leon Draisaitl/Matthew Tkachuk
Comments: 16
Kudos: 267
Collections: The Sin Bin: A Hockey RPF Kink Meme





	Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a Sin Bin prompt:
> 
> _Matt goes into a game against the oilers in preheat and without any stopper or suppressants. It drives all the alphas nuts, namely Leon._

The first period was a shitshow. Games against the Flames always were, their vaunted Battle of Alberta, but something was heightening the tension tonight, a scent in the air. Leon couldn’t work out what the scent was and he couldn’t focus on anything else.

Davo looked furious as they filed into the locker room for the intermission. Leon had expected some of it to be directed at him, after all it was his penalty the Flames had got their first goal on but instead Davo says, “Damn Tkachuk, who even does that?”

“Does what?” As much as Leon disliked Tkachuk he didn’t think he’d done anything particularly aggravating so far this game. Sure, he was running his mouth as usual but since he’d fought Kass last season his antics had calmed down.

Davo frowned at him. “He’s in pre-heat. You couldn’t smell it?”

“I wish I couldn’t,” Nuge muttered from across the room.

“Is that what it was?” Leon hadn’t spent enough time around omegas in heat to identify it before but, now it had been pointed out, he could recognise the slightly smoky aroma he’d been scenting. He wasn’t sure where Davo knew Tkachuk’s scent from; as far as he knew they’d only met when they played each other in the NHL and at last year’s All-Star game and even having been on the bench together Leon hadn’t been close enough to pick up his scent. Unless it was an omega thing - Davo was more sensitive to scents in general so it wasn’t impossible he could’ve picked up Tkachuk’s just from sharing the locker room in St Louis.

On the other hand, maybe it was just the obvious guess. Though Tkachuk wasn’t the only omega on the Flames, he might well be the only one who would think playing in pre-heat was a reasonable thing to do.

Kassian shook his head. “Trust Tkachuk to try something like that.”

It was pretty well understood that alphas were affected by the pheromones given off by omegas in heat so Tkachuk probably thought it would be entertaining, just another way for him to agitate without being able to be penalised for it. Then again, maybe he just wanted to play. Leon couldn’t really fault him for that, as inconvenient as it might be so, as Coach came in, he shrugged and put it to the back of his mind.

In hindsight it had been stupid of Leon to think he should check rather than taking Davo’s word for it but, when he found himself battling Tkachuk in the corner for a puck, Leon couldn’t resist the urge to press his nose towards Tkachuk’s neck and take a deep breath.

Immediately he was overwhelmed by a sharp, almost bitter scent, filling his nostrils. It probably shouldn’t have been appealing but Leon found himself growling as his alpha came to the fore. Tkachuk elbowed him in the gut and Leon’s mind rushed back to the game. Tkachuk got the puck out to Backlund and the Oilers were once again on the defensive.

After that, Leon was hyper-aware of where Tkachuk was on the ice. It didn’t help matters any when they faced off against each other on the next penalty and Tkachuk went for his skates rather than the puck. Leon stumbled as he passed the puck back to Nurse and Tkachuk raced after it.

“Fuck you, Tkachuk,” he snarled at the next opportunity.

Tkachuk only smirked back over his shoulder. “Is that a promise?”

During the next stoppage, Leon found his eyes drawn to the Flames bench as Tkachuk pulled off his helmet to pour water over his head. The mix of pleasure and relief which passed over his face made sense if he was in pre-heat; probably if Leon touched his skin he would be fever hot and he imagined Tkachuk pressing his face into Leon’s relatively cooler hand. He shook himself out of it.

Of course they lost, with Leon not the only Oiler distracted. Since he’d at least got a point, even if it was on a sloppy pass that Davo had somehow managed to get in, the press didn’t want to speak to him post-game. Leon stripped off his gear and showered as quickly as possible. He just wanted to get home, maybe have a beer and forget all about the game and Tkachuk.

He was halfway to the parking garage when he smelt it suddenly, Tkachuk’s distinctive scent. Leon knew he ought to ignore it and leave but his alpha instincts won out. Leon turned, heading quickly down the hallway, following the tantalising scent.

He found Tkachuk some way from the visitor’s locker room, leaning against the wall, flushed red and dripping with sweat. He was so out of it he didn’t notice Leon until he was within arm’s reach. 

“Draisatl,” he said unsteadily. “What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you that,” Leon said. “This is my arena.”

Tkachuk looked up at him through long lashes, lip bitten red and pupils blown wide, and Leon growled. Leon tried taking a deep breath, hoping to steady his thoughts, but that was a mistake with the scent of pre-heat thick in the air. He couldn’t think of anything other than getting the omega somewhere private where he could claim him. 

Leon found himself wanting to taste him, the droplets of sweat beading his hairline and more besides. He wanted to run his fingers through those stupid curls and hold Tkachuk in place while he left bite marks over his neck so everyone would know he was claimed.

He fought back against his instincts. Tkachuk wouldn’t thank him for it after, even though he’d obviously wanted the attention when he decided to play in that state. Leon took a step closer and then stopped, control warring with desire.

Tkachuk must have been able to see though. “I knew it,” he said, words slurring through his heat. “Knew you wanted me.”

“What? No, I don’t,” Leon denied. 

Tkachuk’s tongue peeked out between his lips as he titled his head and gave Leon a slow look over that made him want to shove him back up against that wall and ravish him.

He was temporarily saved from making an embarrassing mistake by the arrival of Giordano.

Except rather than immediately dragging Tkachuk away, he smiled at Leon. “He found you then.”

“What?” The distracting heat scent was making Leon stupid as it took him a moment to process the unexpected words. “I think I found _him_ actually.”

Giordano nodded enthusiastically. “That’s even better than. I guess I don’t need to explain to you.”

Leon turned away from Tkachuk, feeling as though he was surfacing from a long dive. The artificial light and chemical smells were like sandpaper against his senses as he tried to make sense of the whole situation. “No, actually. I don’t think I do understand.”

Giordano looked uneasy but before Leon could press him further, Tkachuk let a moan slip and Leon turned back towards him without conscious thought. He realised he was already hard, the scent filling him with his own need.

“Look,” Giordano said awkwardly. “Matty’s in heat and it seems as though you’re compatible. Can’t you help him out?”

He definitely could. The Oilers had an emergency heat room here at the arena and Leon knew the sensible choice if he agreed would be to go there but his own place was so close and it was tempting to take Tkachuk there instead. Leon could almost see it, his omega safe in his den.

Although, the thought of being in an enclosed space with an omega in heat to get there seemed like a bad idea. Leon wasn’t sure he could walk straight, let alone drive right now. 

Then he reminded himself this was Tkachuk he was thinking about. He needed to snap out of it.

“Shouldn’t you be taking care of him? Isn’t there anyone on your team who wants him?” It came out more vicious than he’d intended and Tkachuk visibly flinched. Leon was conflicted. He didn’t even like the other man, not the way he acted on the ice, and none of their previous off-ice interactions had done anything to change his opinion, but his alpha instincts were going into overdrive.

“If you don’t want to do it, you could have just said that.” Giordano pushed past him to wrap an arm around Tkachuk’s shoulder. “Come on, Matty, we’ll sort something out.”

“Wait!” Leon didn’t know what prompted him to say it but he found he couldn’t bear the thought of Tkachuk walking away. The idea of his omega mating with someone else made him burn with anger, a low growl emanating from deep in his chest.

“Which is it, Draisatl?” Giordano challenged. “Do you want him or not? Because in case you can’t smell it, we don’t have all evening here.”

“I’ll do it,” Leon snapped.

Giordano frowned, as Tkachuk listed into his side. “This isn’t the time for scoring martyr points.”

Leon scrubbed his hands through his hair, probably hopelessly messing it up. “I want to,” he said, through gritted teeth.

It was probably fair that Giordano looked dubious but Tkachuk was the one whose opinion mattered and he’d apparently already made his choice, stepping away from his captain and into Leon’s reach. “You better take care of him.” Giordano gave him what was probably supposed to be a threatening look but Leon was too focused on Tkachuk to care.

“Follow me,” he told Tkachuk, ignoring Giordano, and they left him behind in the hallway. The heat room was back towards the home locker room but it felt too far. Leon could feel the adrenaline rushing through him with every minute until he could get his omega somewhere safe. He was surprised to find that he’d grabbed Tkachuk’s wrist at some point and it was reassuring to known he was close.

Finally they arrived and it was obvious how close they’d cut it when Tkachuk started to pull off his clothes as soon as Leon had the door locked behind them.

Before he could do anything about it, Leon needed to let the team staff know both that the room was in use and that they’d need to arrange to have it cleaned after. Fortunately, they had foreseen this possibility and he had the number in his phone so he didn’t need to actually find someone. After a moment’s consideration, he dropped a message to Connor as well, letting him know what’s going on. 

Obligations to the team fulfilled, Leon turned to his omega. Tkachuk sat on the edge of the bed naked. He was flushed all the way down his chest, nipples and cock both erect as he panted softly, head tipped forward, waiting for Leon to make the next move. 

Leon started to pull off his own clothes but something didn’t feel right. He stalked around the room, trying to work out what was wrong. The room was well equipped: a large bed with plenty of blankets and pillows, the small bathroom attached held toiletries and towels and, although there were no windows, the lighting was diffused and dimmed so it didn’t feel too artificial. 

But it didn’t smell of him. Normally he would think marking his territory was old-fashioned but right now he needed the scent to ground him. Still, even in the haze which came with being high on omega heat hormones, Leon couldn’t entirely forget who he was with and he didn’t think Tkachuk would forgive him if he actually pissed on him. 

Thinking back to half-remembered classes at school, he grabbed a couple of towels. They would soak up the fluid while still holding the scent. Tkachuk gave him a guarded look as he came back out of the bathroom carrying the soaking towels but he also visibly relaxed as Leon’s scent permeated the room.

Leon pressed him down onto the mattress, wanting to pin him there and just scent him for hours. Once he had his nose buried against Tkachuk’s neck, the scent of his omega began to settle him. Leon didn’t know how he’d missed it before but it made his mouth water.

He only got a few minutes before Tkachuk was squirming under him. “Fucking get on with it,” he demanded.

When Leon gave him a sharp look, Tkachuk rolled his eyes then tilted his head so he was looking up at Leon through fluttering eyelashes, “Please, alpha.” 

Even knowing his submission was put on, Leon’s alpha instincts surged to the fore. 

Leon wanted to kiss him, to find out if his lips were as soft as they looked, but he knew he shouldn’t. Instead he tightened his grip on Tkachuk’s wrists, holding him in place while Leon finished scenting him to his satisfaction, before finally pulling back.

As soon as Leon let up, Tkachuk rolled over and presented. Leon hated to admit it but the view was fantastic. Tkachuk had a great ass and right now Leon had free reign to do whatever he wanted with it. Leon spread his buttocks to see the dripping hole he couldn’t wait to taste.

Tkachuk wasn’t quiet but that was okay, there shouldn’t be anyone around to hear anyway, and Leon was gratified at the sounds he wrung out of him. He tasted amazing, the rich scent of his heat filling all of Leon's senses and Leon could have happily spent hours discovering the noises he could coax out of him but, as the heat deepened, Tkachuk grew impatient, begging for more. 

There was no duplicity in his submission now as he pleaded for Leon’s cock, for his knot, and Leon was happy to give it to him.

There were condoms in the drawer, as much as his alpha instincts roared to breed his omega, to fill him with their cubs. Tkachuk whined at the sound of the foil wrapper tearing but Leon couldn’t allow himself to go bare without discussing it first. Even if Tkachuk really wanted it, and it wasn't just the haze of heat speaking, the Flames would never forgive him for knocking up their star player.

Sliding into Tkachuk felt so right, like it was where he was meant to be but Leon wasn’t stupid enough to let himself pretend he was anything more than a convenient knot to him. They were rivals, it couldn’t mean anything else. 

Except Tkachuk gasped when he thrust roughly and Leon felt a jolt of guilt. He forced himself to gentle his touch, fighting the urge to claim what was his, to mark him for every other alpha to see and smell. 

Instead he ran his hands down Tkachuk’s sides and up his back. Tkachuk relaxed as one of Leon’s hands rested on the back of his neck, fingers catching in his curls. Tkachuk's hair was even softer than Leon had imagined. 

Leon caught himself; not that he had spent a lot of time thinking about his opponent's hair. It felt too intimate but Tkachuk moved restlessly under him when he stopped, only settling when Leon laced their fingers together.

When he knotted him, it took all his will not to sink his teeth into Tkachuk’s neck. Instead, he tipped them over onto their sides so he could curl around him, protecting his omega while the knot lasted. He half-expected Tkachuk to protest the protectiveness, since he was so loud about fighting his own battles on the ice, but instead he seemed to relax into Leon’s embrace even more. 

It didn’t become awkward until Leon’s knot went down enough to slip out. Tkachuk actually whimpered when Leon tried to pull away and grabbed his wrist before he could let go. “Just- Wait, a little longer.”

Leon didn’t want to let go either but he didn’t want to get too comfortable with this. He kept his arms wrapped around him for a few more minutes until he couldn’t bear it any longer. “I need the bathroom,” he lied when Tkachuk whined.

He splashed water over his face, trying to tell himself it was just the heat talking, Tkachuk wouldn’t want anything to do with him otherwise, but deep down Leon knew it had always been him keeping Tkachuk at arms’ length.

Feeling guilty for abandoning his omega in the middle of his heat, Leon bought back a glass of water to ease his alpha instincts. Tkachuk tried to snuggle into him as soon as he sat back on the bed, but Leon managed to hold him off long enough to have a drink and eat some of the snacks the room was stocked with. 

It took less than an hour before Tkachuk needed his knot again. That time Leon kept his touch gentle from the start, rocking his hips in shallow thrusts and delighting in Tkachuk’s breathy moans. If this was the only chance he was going to get to see him like this he might as well make the most of it.

Leon slipped into German, certain Tkachuk was too far gone to notice. It let him speak endearments he wouldn't dare in English, telling Tkachuk how pretty he looked, how sweet he was. He wasn’t at all what Leon had expected.

It was easier that time to wrap his arms around Tkachuk, letting him rest and regain his strength for the next wave of heat. Warm and comfortable, surrounded by their mingled scents, Leon drifted off to sleep, still holding him close.

Tkachuk woke him in the night for a final go, straddling Leon’s hips and sliding down onto his cock. He was still so hot, like a furnace inside and out, and his desperation had him clinging to Leon.

That time Leon didn’t hesitate. Their lips met and Leon dug his fingers into Tkachuk’s hair, holding him in place while he took charge of the kiss. He had expected Tkachuk to make him fight for dominance but instead he surrendered to it, letting Leon take and take. 

When finally Leon knotted him Tkachuk fell forward, head tucked into Leon’s shoulder and, knowing that would be the last time, Leon struggled once more to resist the urge to leave his mark. Tkachuk’s scent was so strong now, the slick and sweat and cum immersing them in a cloud of pheromones. It felt as though that scent had sunk into him and Leon would never be satisfied with another.

When he woke in the morning he was alone but he could hear the shower running. He thought about leaving before Tkachuk emerged but even once he was dressed, he couldn’t bring himself to actually walk out. It didn’t feel as though they could just go back to being rivals, not now he knew how Tkachuk tasted, the sounds he made, what he looked like as he came.

Leon sat on the edge of the bed to wait and Tkachuk double-took when he came back into the room, towel wrapped around his waist. Somehow it felt more intimate seeing him half-naked like that than everything they’d already done.

Tkachuk looked surprised as he said,. “You’re still here.” He chewed his lip as he watched Leon almost warily.

“I didn’t want you to think I’d just run away,” Leon said. It comes out more affectionate than the joke he’d intended.

Tkachuk made an effort at forcing a smile but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “You didn't bite me,” he said.

Leon frowned. “How much of an asshole do you think I am?” It didn’t matter that he had desperately wanted to, that even now he felt the urge to mark up that bare skin. His gut twisted at the thought of Tkachuk walking back into his locker room with no evidence that he had been with Leon, and he’d even showered off Leon’s scent.

Vulnerable wasn't a word Leon would usually associate with Tkachuk but Leon had no other word for that look on his face as he said, “You don’t have to pretend to care.”

They must be talking at cross-purposes. Tkachuk couldn’t possibly mean that he had _wanted_ Leon to mark him. 

“I wasn’t going to try to claim you when you were barely lucid enough to agree to spend your heat with me in the first place,” Leon contended. “I wasn’t going to risk doing anything you would regret in the morning.”

“You thought _I’d_ regret it?” Tkachuk looked confused. “But you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you,” Leon admitted, sorry he hadn’t said it sooner. “I don’t like the way you play but that’s hardly the same thing. I thought you’d be more likely to be angry at me for seeing you- like that.”

The flush spread down to Tkachuk’s collarbones and Leon felt weak at the knees. 

Before he could say anything more, there was a knock on the door and Leon jumped. They both looked towards the door, and Leon tried to remember if he definitely locked it last night. The knock came again, heavier this time and Tkachuk gathered up an armful of clothes and retreated back into the bathroom.

Clearly Leon was going to have to be the one to deal with whoever it was. He looked through the viewing hole to find two people outside - he recognised Chris, one of the Oilers’ training staff, and the other man was in Flames branded clothing, so probably one of theirs.

Reluctantly Leon cracked the door open. Chris smiled apologetically. “Sorry to disturb you.”

“You’re still in one piece then,” the Flames trainer said jovially, trying to peer past Leon into the room. 

“He’s in the bathroom,” Leon said. It comes out as almost a growl and Leon surprised himself with how possessive he felt. Fortunately neither of the men are alphas or he didn’t think he could stay calm.

“I did try calling first,” Chris said. “But since you didn’t answer-” 

Leon realised he had no idea where his phone ended up since it hadn’t been in his pants’ pocket. The battery was probably dead by now anyway. “What time is it?” he asked.

“Time Tkachuk needs to be heading to the airport,” the Flames trainer said. Something about Leon’s unimpressed stare must register as he added, “Unless the heat hasn’t broken and then I need to know to book a new flight.”

Leon had thought they’d had more time to talk about what had happened. “Give us a minute.” He shut the door in their faces and turned back in time to watch Tkachuk come out of the bathroom in a plain sweatpants and t-shirt. Even without the influence of heat hormones, Leon had to admit he wanted him. He wondered if half their antagonism had actually just been desire that Leon had been oblivious to.

Leon realised he wasn’t prepared to just let Tkachuk walk away, never to see him again except on the opposite side of the ice, and took a deep breath but Tkachuk always had to get his say in.

“What are you looking at?” Tkachuk snapped. He was already looking tense, wearing his customary grin like armour.

“Maybe I could get your number?” Leon asked, feeling awkward.

Tkachuk frowned. “I think Gio still has my phone. I hope someone has anyway, and my wallet and keys.”

Leon wasn’t sure if that is a deflection or just a statement of fact. “Message me then? You’re on insta, yes?”

Tkachuk’s eyes widened a little, as though only just realising Leon was serious, then his usual arrogance reasserted itself. “You can’t get enough of this then?”

Leon gritted his teeth. He shouldn’t find it as appealing as he did but that only mattered if Tkachuk felt the same. “If you’re not interested, you can just tell me.”

Tkachuk chewed at his lip, taking a moment before he shook himself. “Who was at the door?”

The conversation shift threw Leon and he stumbled over his reply. “Trainers. Your flight call.”

“Why didn’t you just say that?” Tkachuk looked annoyed as he collected up the clothes he’d been wearing the previous day and was clearly prepared to leave.

As Tkachuk pushed past him to the door, Leon panicked, the alpha voice in his head insisting he shouldn’t be letting his omega walk away. It ate at him that Tkachuk's teammates were going to look at him and see no sign of this, of him. Before he could reach the door handle, Leon pressed him up against the wall, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake.

Tkachuk looked uncharacteristically nervous for a second until Leon pulled back just enough to lean in and suck a hickey into his neck. To Leon’s relief Tkachuk pushed into it, fingers digging into Leon’s biceps, holding him closer instead of pushing him away. Underneath the fresh smell of shower gel and shampoo, Leon could still scent himself on Tkachuk and he purred with satisfaction.

By the time Leon was done, there was an obvious red mark, clearly showing the imprint of his teeth. It wasn’t a claiming bite but, combined with his scent, it would have to do.

Tkachuk pressed the tips of his fingers against the mark and seemed pleased. “I’ll message you,” he said. Then he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. 

He paused, looking back at Leon, and tilted his head so Leon could see his mark. “See you around.”

Then he left and Leon felt a pang of loss as he watched him walk away, not knowing if that was all he got. 

Chris tried to get his attention and Leon let the trainer fuss over him but his mind was elsewhere. This was definitely not how he had expected things to go.

Leon found his phone on one of the cabinets. Chris had a phone charger and Leon plugged it in, putting in his passcode when prompted. He scrolled through the team’s acknowledgement of his message, a reply from Connor, and a bunch of speculation on the groupchat. He was just about to put it aside when a new notification came through from Instagram - “ **matthew_tkachuk** started following you”

Leon smiled as he clicked on the notification and followed him back. Maybe they could make it work.


End file.
